Fluid-pressure thrust-bearing.



PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907.

- 0. \LASGHEL' FLUID PRESSURE THRUST BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1905.

e, 4L Atty;

Inventor: Oskar Lssch B M v Witnesses UNITED STATES PATENT FTC.

COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FLUID-PRESSURE Specification of Letters Patent.

THRUST-BEARING- Patented March 12,1907.

.Application filed July 24, 1905. Serial No. 270,972.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OSKAR LASCHE, a sub- 'ect of the Emperor of Germany,residing at erlin, Germany, have invented certain new 5 and usefulImprovements in Fluid-Pressure Thrust-Bearings, of which the followingis a specification. 1

Machines, and particularly those which are subjected to aheavy axialthrust first in one direction and then in the opposite, re

uire that the thrust-bearing for the shaft s all be ready at an -momentto take the thrust irrespective 0 its direction. If the bearing receiveslubricant under pressure from a single pum the supply must be reversedwhen the irection of thrust is reversed. This reversing of the supply oflubricant is usually too early or too late and requires either specialattention on the part of an 0 erator or an automatic reversing device, Wich, as is shown by ex erience, may refuse to act, owing to some diculty, and in consequence the bearing is injured or ruined, as the'casemay be.

The object of the present invention is to provide a fluid-pressurethrust-bearing which is free from the objections above noted, is simpleand rugged in construction, and reli able in operation.

In the accompanying drawing, which is illustrative of one embodiment ofmy invention, is shown a thrust-bearing with certain of the parts insection.

In carrying out the invention, the shaft is provided with one, two, ormore collars, which may be so arate and rigidly secured to the shaft orormed integral therewith.

Surrounding the collar or collars is a casing,

which presents smooth surfaces to the side walls of the collar orcollars and is divided into parts-for example, into right and lefthfi'nd'members. In the inner fac or walls of the casing and adjacent tothe collar are one or more grooves or chambers surrounding the shaft,which communicate with separate sources of fluid under pressure. A pumpcan with advantage be connected to the. lefthand groove or grooves and aseparate pump connected to the right-hand groove or grooves.

59 These pumps should be of such a character i that they will deliverthe necessary constant I or approximately constant amount of fluid perunit of time, and this independent of the pressures created. Thequantities of lubricant delivered by the pumps per units of time I aregenerally equal if the axial thrusts in o posite directions are equal,but in case t e thrusts are uneqlual the amounts delivered may be unequaThe pipes or conduits leading from the source of supply to the groovesor chambers in the fixed casing should be large enough incross-sectionto reduce the resistance to flow toa minimum. The shaft which issub'ected to axial thrust is arranged to have a slight axial movementwithin the casing or the casing may have a slight longitudinal movementwith respect to the shaft. The main thing is to provide for a slightrelative movement in a longitudinal direction between said parts. Thecollar, by its position in the casing, determines the pressures of thefluid supplies. When the collar is near one wall, the pressure of thesupply on that side is greater t an when it is more remote, because thecross-sectional area of the outlet is decreased. Under this condition,the pressure on the opposite side is low, because the area of the outletis large.

Assuming that both pumps are delivering equal amounts of lubricant,which may be Water, oil, or other non-compressible fluid, per given.unit of time, the resistance to the flow of one pump will be greater inone case than in the other where the space between the collar and a sidewall is less on one side than on the other. The fluid-discharge into thecasing is collected at a suitable point or points and may be returned tothe pumps, if desired.

When the collar is midway between the side Walls of the casing andseparated by relatively small spaces, the pumps will only have toovercome a relatively small resistance for example, .8 of an atmosphere.On the other hand,,if a thrust is exerted on the shaft from the left itwill force the collar nearer to the right-hand wall of the casing thanthe left, and the pressure of the fluid delivered to the adjacent grooveor chamber will be increased, for the volume remains constant, orsubstantially so. For example, a pressure of ,3 of an atmosphere mayexist in the lefthand members 3 and 4.

hand groove and a pressure of ten atmospheres in the right-hand groove.This com in-ation pressure-bearing will then work as a simple bearing,which has a fluid-pressure equal to the difference in pressuresprevailing in the groovesi .c., ten atmospheres minus .3 of anatmsophere equals 9.7 atmospheres opposing the thrust. If the thrust isexerted on the shaft from the right, the reverse action will take placeand. the pressure in the left-hand groove or chamber will automaticallyincrease, while that in the right decreases. From the foregoing it willbe seen that the bearing is ready at any instant to take up the thrustof the shaft in either direc tion and in any amount from the minimum tothe maximum, and this without the 116-- c'essity of changing thelubricant supply. The specific pressure of the lubricant can beregulated by the amount delivered by the pumps.

The invention can be applied equally well to an arrangement wherein aplurality of collars are provided in the same or (lillerent casin s. Thechambers or grooves may each e sup lied with lubricant by a pump or agroup 0 pumps, as desired.

In the drawing, 1 represents the shaft, which is subjected to thrustfirst in one direc tion and then in another, and mounted thereon orformed integral therewith is a collar 2 of suitable diameter. collar isa casing comprising right and left The parts of the easing are united bybolts or equivalent means. The inner walls of the casing and theopposing side walls of the collar are suitably linished. The casing andthfl collar have a limited amount of longitudinal movement with respectto each other. The clearance or space between the relatively movingparts is somewhat exaggerated in the drawing for the pur ose ofillustration. Formed in the walls oft 1e casing are grooves or chambers5 and 6. Lubricant under pressure is supplied to the groove 5 by thepump 7, which maybe of the gear type. It should be capable of deliveringa constant or substantially constant volume of fluid per unit of timeirrespective of the pressure. To the groove 6 is connected thedelivery-pipe of a pump 8 of similar character. Surrounding the collarand located be tween it and the inner cylindrical wall of the casing isa collection-chamber 9, that discharges through the conduit 10 to thesuction side of the pumps or to other suitable exhaust. The shaft 1 maypass freely through the casing' or suitable packings for the shaft maybe provided. When these packings are emitted, a certain amount of fluidunder pressure will escape around the shaft to the outside of thecasing. v

What I claim as new, and desire to secure Surrounding the by LettersPatent of the United States, is:

'ply constant amounts of lubricant independent of the eases? bricatedirrespective of the direction and.

amount of the thrust. I

2. A thrust-bearing comprising a collar which is mounted on a spindleand is subjectcd to axial thrust first in one direction and ti .1? inthe other, walls located on opposite sides of the collar, the collar andwalls having slight longitudinal movement with respect to each other,and means which supor substantially constant pressure to the spacesbetween the sides of the collar and the walls.

3. A thrust-bearing comprising a collar which is mounted on a spindleand is subjected to axial thrust first in one direction and then in theother, walls located on opposite sides ofthe collar, the collar andwalls having slight longitudinal movement with respect to each. otherwith chambers between the sides of the collar and the walls, andseparate sources of supply which supply lubricant to the chambers at variable pressure and substantially constant volume.

4. A thrust-bearing comprising a collar which is mounted on a spindleand is sub jected to axial thrust first in one direction and then in theother, walls located on opposites sides of the collar, the collar andWalls having slight longitudinal movement with respect to each otherwith chambers SUI-r rounding the shaft and located between the sides ofthe collar and the walls, and separate pumps which continuously supplylubricant to said chambers.

5. A thrust-bearing comprising a collar which is mounted on a spindleand is su jected to an axial thrust first in one direction and then inthe other, a casing surrounding the collar, the collar and easing beingarranged to have slight independent longitu dinal movement, and separatepumps which continuously supply lubricant to the spaces between thecollar and easing, the pressures of the fluid delivered by the pumpsbeing governed by the position of the collar with respect to the wallsof the ,casing.

6. A thrust-bearing comprising a collar which is mounted on a spindleand is sub jected to an axial thrust nrst in one direction and then inthe other, a divided easing which surrounds the collar, the collar andcasing being arranged to have slight independent lon gitudinal movemeit, separate pumps which continuously supply lubricant to the spacesbetween the collar and easing, the pressures whichis common to the pumpsand collectionof the fluid delivered by the pumps being chamber. 1ogoverned by the position of the collar within In witness whereof I havehereunto set my the casing, there being a chamber located behand this29th day of June, 1905.

tween the axle and the cylindrical Walls of l v OSKAR LASCHE.

the casing for collecting the fluid from the 1 Witnesses: pumps after itflows between the inner walls MAX HAMBURGER, of the casing and thecollar, and an outlet PAUL WAGNER.

